When Luis Enrique speaks [in metaphorical terms about football and sexual ecstasy], people listen. He's promised the world a display of "Orgasmic" footy from his Barca squad (he coaches the reserves) today at The Bridge. Is it Delusions of Pleasure... or a top line to the magic the Catalans have in store today for Chelski and the world? Present party is hoping Leo and Sammy spray Cech wet with attacking grandeur, but the more reasonable sorts among us (looking... looking... they're here, I swear) have a feeling it won't cum quite so easy. Chelsea have a way of toughening up in these spots.
So here we are, just 15 minutes to kick. It's 0-0 after the first leg at the Nou Camp. A win or goal-scoring draw puts Barca through. Chelsea need to win to book their title rematch with United. And then there's always the possibility of PKs after another impotent, scoreless draw. We go flaccid at the thought.
Lineups después del salto!
First-- Michael Ballack, Nicholas Anelka, Alex, Dani Alves and Sergio Busquets are all on Darren Fletcher Alert-- one yellow and OUT for the final.
Second-- Questions! Will Thierry Henry man up and play? (Answer: NON) Who will play center back for injury and suspension-ridden Barcelona? Rafa Marquez is out with that knee injury (is it no longer even a chuckle-worthy irony that the most dangerous place on the pitch for a footballer is that spot five yards clear of other players and the ball?) and Captain Carles Puyol misses out after collecting one too many yella cards. It'll probably be Gerry Pique and Eric Abidal/Yaya Toure. (Answer: TOURE) That's my wild guess at 1.45 pm et. By the time you see this there will be an actual lineup right below...
right here...
So it goes:
For Chelsea--
Subs: Hilario, Ivanovic, Mikel, Kalou, Belletti, Mancienne, Di Santo
For visiting Barcelona--
Subs: Pinto, Caceres, Gudjohnsen, Bojan Krkic, Sylvinho, Alex Hleb, Pedro
Already y'all, we are off in a just a few minutes. Let's hope for a nut-busting second leg. (You promised, Luis!)
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219 comments:
«Oldest ‹Older 201 – 219 of 219So, is this the end of Chelsea? The last gasp of the Russian Oligarch. He is now selling players to get players.
Just went over the replays. Chelsea have legitimate complaints on all the PK non-calls. Still, they let Barca score and that's why they're out. Do they really need a PK to score? Essien's goal suggests that they can score in the run of play.
When it connects with the underside of his upper arm.
You go to the Nou Camp and play for a 0-0 draw, this is what you leave yourself susceptible to.
@PR: I'm counting Yaya's semi-take down of Anelka in the box, and then Eto'o's back of the arm deflection of Ballack's strike.
Chelsea whines more than my children.
Barca had legit beef with their red card but didn't feel the need to assault the referee.
I though Ballack was about to shiv the zebra after his shot @ 96'. While it was close, Tommy Smith did call it correct that his the defender's was turned and the ball played the hand.
Chelsea only have themself to blame. They didn't put away a number of great opportunities. If they did that, they wouldn't have cared about the PK non-calls.
I take great joy in seeing Chelsea lose, but I have doom and gloom in my mind with ManU facing a depleted Barca backline.
Ray Hudson definitely has to change his drawers. Probably asked his wife if he can call her Little Iniesta tonite.
How is that a handball if Inzaghi's first goal in Athens wasn't, when it hit on the forearm?
Yes, I'm still bitter about that.
Okay, the Anelka, yes. The Pique, yes.
The Eto'o... man, you've got to have some stones to give a PK to a guy turning his back to the ball to block it.
I'll stick with 2. And by my math, two blown calls = 1 undeserved red card because of a straight dive.
That was 80 minutes of bad football and 15 minutes of awesome theater.
The Eto'o one is much more questionable than the other two, and PR, you're right, no ref makes that call under those game circumstances or with Eto'o's (is that right?) body position.
Chelsea should only be mad at themselves for not getting a second without the ref's help.
You know, Eto'o's are my favorite cereal.
The Ref's wiki page has already been defaced many times. God bless the internet.
So the only way to appeal is based on mistaken identity. Maybe it's because I can't turn off the lawyering, but a crafty Barca appeal writer could certainly say that it is a case of mistaken identity because nobody made the foul, so saying Abidal fouled Anelka would be assessing the foul to the wrong person.
if that was a "footballing orgamsm," then it was Tantric... looooongg-awaited then utterly insane!
Michael Ballack is insane.
Yes Virginia, there is a fucking G-d! And he/she doesn't want me to spend the 27th rooting for the meteor...YES!
Iniesta, you glorious little vampire!
I think I'm still high from seeing that goal.
Dear Drogba and Ballack: just shut the fuck up. If Drogba ever made any effort to stay on his feet, Chelski wouldn't have had to worry about one late goal, they'd have had 2 or 3 of their own on the board. And Ballack should have gotten multiple YC's last week.
As for Barca, given a matchup with with ManU, Alves is no loss - they're going to need an actual 4-man back line, not a 3 and a third one. And given Alves' crossing today, that's no loss. Abidal is a loss on the left. Puyol and Pique in the middle, Toure at RB, and I don't know the roster well enough to fill the LB spot, but they must have someone. I'd have no problem with them having 5 players dedicated to defense, and letting the other 5 just attack like mad.
ManUre can be had by a team that takes the game to them, and the only certainty is that Barca will do just that...
Dear Spartak London:
HAr-HAr!!
/Nelson Muntzed
weird, its even better on second viewing, thought that might be the beer talking...
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